ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Egypt could not win a war with Ethiopia over the River Nile and is also supporting rebel groups in an attempt to destabilize the Horn of Africa nation, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said in an interview.

Egypt, Ethiopia and seven other countries through which the river passes have been locked in more than a decade of contentious talks driven by anger over the perceived injustice of a previous Nile water treaty signed in 1929.

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 23 (Reuters) – Ethiopia is hoping to
attract more investment from Chinese, Indian and Turkish
companies as part of efforts to industrialise its largely
agriculture-based economy, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said.

Though still one of the world’s poorest countries, Ethiopia
says it has posted double-digit growth rates for six years in a
row making it Africa’s fastest growing non-oil producer.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi warned of “ghastly” consequences for Africa if Sudan returns to war after a crucial referendum on southern independence in January.

Africa’s biggest country is 47 days away from a plebiscite in its oil-producing south on whether to secede or remain part of Sudan — a vote promised in the 2005 peace deal that ended decades of north-south war.

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – An Ethiopian rebel group said on Tuesday it had killed 267 soldiers since the beginning of October, in its first such claim since the government signed a peace deal with one its factions last month.

The Ethiopian government denied the claim.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) wants more autonomy for the country’s mainly ethnic-Somali Ogaden region and has warned foreign companies exploring for oil and gas to stay away or face attack.

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 9 (Reuters) – An Ethiopian rebel group said
on Tuesday it had killed 267 soldiers since the beginning of
October, in its first such claim since the government signed a
peace deal with one its factions last month.

The Ethiopian government denied the claim.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) wants more
autonomy for the country’s mainly ethnic-Somali Ogaden region
and has warned foreign companies exploring for oil and gas to
stay away or face attack.

The latest twist in Uganda’s hang the ‘homos’ saga was played out last week when the High Court in Kampala ordering Rolling Stone newspaper to stop publishing the names, photographs and addresses of people it says are gay. Alongside the photos, the paper urged the government: “Hang them.”

The court order came too late for the 26 already featured in two issues of the young newspaper that most people in the East African country have never heard of.

KAMPALA (Reuters) – A young man, baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, looks first over his left shoulder and then over his right, back over his left and once more over the right before he is sure nobody is listening.

He then looks down at his feet and the small dance floor of Ugandan capital Kampala’s only gay bar, T-Cozy, and starts to speak slowly — and quietly.

If the potential success of an election could be judged by the excitement generated by its first day of campaigning, then Uganda is set for an excellent poll.

It can’t, of course, but it was heartening to see both ruling party and opposition supporters whooping it around capital Kampala yesterday ahead of a February 18th voting day that most think will be nothing but a foregone conclusion.

About Barry

"Irish journalist who has lived in the Horn and east Africa since 2006 - first in Ethiopia, then in Uganda - covering politics, elections, society, culture and economics across the region. I have also worked for Reuters in Tunisia, Iraq and Libya and was part of the team that dominated coverage of Muammar Gaddafi's killing. Always welcome a good chat over on Twitter: @malonebarry"